"Rest assured. I, Uchiha Fugaku, am not the type to gamble with my own honor."With those words, Fugaku turned and walked away.
"Finally… one thing off my back." Natsume Yō let out a quiet sigh of relief.But then his lips curled into a smirk. "That said… undoing their curse mark? Not that simple."
Sure, Fugaku might keep his word not to retaliate—but what about the rest of the Uchiha? Who could guarantee that? Nobody.Luckily for him, the system had a neat little function: conceal the Soul-Binding Curse.
"Heh… Uchiha Jun'ei, Uchiha Yūsuke—if you try to play dirty after this, I'll make sure you learn what true terror feels like."
Of course, Yō wasn't naïve enough to take Fugaku's words at face value.But as someone with no big clan, no backing, and only modest strength, making temporary peace with the Uchiha was the best way to minimize losses.
As for asking the Hokage for help? Please. What was he supposed to do—march up to Hiruzen and say, 'Oh hey, I enslaved Uchiha Jun'ei and Yūsuke with a forbidden curse, now their clan wants me dead!'?Yeah right. If he tried that, Yō would be a corpse before sunset.
Not to mention, this was a curse the Uchiha couldn't crack—control over their own bloodline. Even if Hiruzen wouldn't make a public move against him, what about Danzo lurking in the shadows? That old vulture would tear Yō apart to steal the curse's secrets, and probably drag Chiba into the mess too.
Compared to Danzo, the Uchiha were practically "reasonable."
Which meant this entire feud could only be settled between him and the Uchiha clan—dragging in the Hokage's office was suicide.
The next day.Natsume Yō strolled into the Uchiha compound like he owned the place, swaggering as if on a morning walk. One of their guards even escorted him in with all the courtesy of a VIP.
Inside the Uchiha main hall, Fugaku and the clan elders knelt in solemn silence, their postures sharp and imposing.
Uchiha Taito and Uchiha Kangaku were present as well, along with Jun'ei and Yūsuke—the two poor bastards under Yō's Soul-Binding Curse.
The moment the pair laid eyes on him, both shuddered violently, cold sweat dripping down their backs. Their eyes screamed one thing: fear.
"Natsume Yō. You're a clever man. Do it. From this day forward, the grudge between you and the Uchiha ends here."Fugaku's half-lidded Sharingan glinted, his voice as heavy as iron.
"...I'll hold you to that." Yō feigned a cautious, worried look as he raised his hand toward the cursed pair.
He'd come well-prepared—layered safeguards against genjutsu, hidden talismans tucked into his sleeves.
System, conceal.
The moment he gave the command, a chill flowed down his arm and into Jun'ei and Yūsuke's heads.
The two suddenly felt the invisible shackles in their minds shatter—the suffocating weight gone. A deep exhale escaped them, almost like groans of relief.
"It's done. The curse is lifted. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Yō turned on his heel, ready to walk straight out of the Uchiha hall.
But before he could step past the threshold, a sharp, aged voice rang out:
"Wait."
He stopped. Slowly turned. An old Uchiha elder stared at him, eyes sharp despite his wrinkled face.
"What is it, Elder?" Yō smiled politely, both hands tucked casually into his sleeves.